With Love and Care
by Shiva Darkwater
Summary: Taichi bakes some cookies for his most favourite sempai... (slight AkutsuDan)


**Author**: Shiva Darkwater **Fandom**: Prince of Tennis **Rating**: PG **Summary**: Taichi bakes some cookies for his most favourite sempai... **Disclaimer** Prince of Tennis and all that is affiliated (ooh, big word) with it belongs to Konomi-sensei. Not me. Duh. **Author's Notes**: I broke my rule. I wrote a tenipuri fic. And my first fic isn't even MomoRyo. Nope. It's Akutsu/Dan. Two characters I know absolutely NOTHING about. Blame Idimmu, she's the one who pleaded (not really) with me to write it. And I wanted to make her happy cause her computer was having issues with splitting the second musical. So this is for Britt.

With Love and Care

The clubroom was dark as Dan Taichi stepped inside. As usual, the first year was the first one to arrive for morning practise, and he bustled about with his daily routine as if it were no different.

With great care, Taichi set down the white box his mother had packaged for him on the nearby table before moving to switch on the lights. The package was special and he didn't want any of his usual clumsiness to get in the way and ruin its contents.

Fingers at the light switch, a noise disrupted the boy's concentration and he jumped, bumping his head against the wall before he flipped the switch like he had set out to do. Rubbing a hand against his forehead, Taichi turned to find the source of the noise.

"Akutsu-sempai?"

There, in the dark, his uniform jacket rolled up as a pillow, Akutsu Jin was sprawled out on the bench resting his eyes. At the sudden brightness, the third year flinched, a golden eye opening lazily into a glare.

"Akutsu-sempai!" It _was_ Dan's sempai after all! "What are you doing here? Did you sleep here all night? Why didn't you go home? The bench can't be that comfortable. Aren't your parents worried about you?"

"Shut up."

Taichi pressed his lips shut immediately. He even made a little motion as if to swear that he wouldn't utter another word.

Akutsu let out a sigh. Swinging his one leg over the bench, the pale-haired teenager sat up, a hand to his forehead as if to quell a sudden headache. "You're always so damn noisy. Brat. Why do you always ask so many questions?"

All that Taichi could reply with was a soft little noise in the back of his throat. Even then the other gave him a glare and the first year dropped his wide brown eyes, only after giving his sempai a desperate look as if begging to say what he wished.

Akutsu raised a hand. With another sigh he finally relented, shutting his eyes and preparing himself. "What is it that you wanted to say."

It wasn't a question, but a command and Dan was almost too relieved with the allowance for him to speak that he almost forgot what it was that he had wished to say. "Anou… etou…"

"Well?" Jin's patience was already beginning to wear down.

"Anou… ah! Chotto!" and with a grand smile, Taichi rushed to retrieve the package that his mother had so nicely wrapped up for him. He brought it back to his sempai shyly, a blush crossing his cheeks. "Anou… my mother helped me to bake these cookies… and… anou… I was wondering if you would want to try some. They're really good!"

A pale eyebrow was raised with scepticism. "Why would I want to eat any cookies that you and your mother made?"

Taichi pushed up at his bandana as once again it fell down to almost cover his eyes. "I know it's early in the morning… but… please! Just one? Onegai!" And the boy bowed low, as if offering something to a high God. In a way, he almost was; his vengeful, wrath filled God.

Akutsu had to be careful. With a glower and a heated snort, the third year pushed open the box, not noticing or perhaps not caring about the time that went in to the careful packaging, and almost snatched a cookie out of the box. Without the proper scrutiny, without even looking, Jin took one simple bite.

Taichi's brown eyes were wide, hopeful. He watched the other chew, then swallow. In a way, he was overcome by emotion. That Akutsu-sempai would even eat something that he had so carefully prepared… Dan's cheeks flushed darker and he glanced down at his white tennis shoes. "Do… do you like it…?"

After a moments pause, Akutsu dropped the partially eaten cookie back into the box. "They need more chocolate" was all that he said in his typical low, threatening way, before he pushed his way to the clubroom door. It was getting to be the time when the other members of the Yamabuki tennis team would be arriving and he did not want to get caught hanging around.

Still… it had been awhile since anyone had made something for him. Even though Akutsu would never show it, a part of him hoped that Dan left those cookies out so that he could take them when no one was watching.


End file.
